Photographer Captures Rare Sighting of Mother Bear with Five Cubs

Photographer Outi Rossi recently captured a remarkable sight in Suomussalmi, Finland: a mother bear with five cubs. Rossi, an avid photographer from Kirkkonummi, traveled near the Russian border with a friend specifically to observe and photograph bears.

During their 14-hour stakeout in a bear blind, Rossi and her friend witnessed multiple bears, including the rare sight of a mother with five cubs. Rossi described the mother bear as "very big, unusually big" and noted the cubs playfully interacting, climbing trees, and reacting quickly to any sudden noises. "I had always hoped to see a bear someday, even from a car. And now we saw bears constantly for 12 hours. It was just unbelievable!" Rossi exclaimed.

Wildlife expert Ilpo Kojola from the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) confirmed the extreme rarity of observing a mother bear with five cubs, noting that even litters of four are uncommon. He stated that while it's theoretically possible for a bear to adopt cubs, it is "almost 100 percent certain" these were the biological offspring of the mother bear. Kojola believes the availability of supplementary food, likely fish scraps, may contribute to such large litter sizes.

Rossi, who initially considered bear photography "a bit dangerous," changed her perception after the experience, finding the bears to be quite skittish. The sighting occurred in early summer, when bears typically emerge from hibernation in Russia and cross into Finland. The encounter provided Rossi with an unforgettable experience and valuable insights into bear behavior.